Guide to Making a Living Will

Although an unexpected death can be very disrupting and emotionally challenging to those who were close to the person, such a death can and often is prepared for by developing a will. But oftentimes, many people overlook another aspect of their medical and familial preparedness. What will happen in those occurrences when you are incapacitated, or are unable to make your own medical decisions? What if you are on life support, or in a coma? How will your family or friends know what your wishes are and how to go about enacting them?

Living wills answer all of these questions, most of which few people have never given regard to. A living will is a document that outlines what should be done to you in case you are unable to authorize medical procedures. Despite the fact that living wills are rather easy and inexpensive to make, few people really take the time to draw up something that could relieve a lot of trouble in the future.

Basically, there are two ways to go about developing a living will. You could either produce one yourself, or have a legal professional go through all the paperwork for you. Obviously, it will cost more to hire a lawyer. But, finding the proper lawyer can be tricky. First, you need to find one that specializes in the law of your state, since different states have different living will requirements and abilities. Also, you need to find a lawyer that specializes to your needs. For instance, if you are elderly, find a lawyer that is an expert in elder law.

Doing it yourself presents a few minor challenges as well, but will be well worth the effort. Again, the first thing you need to do is find out the law regarding living wills in your state. One of the easiest ways to do this is to just search on the internet by typing in “living will” and your state in the search bar. Many sites will come up regarding the law, most which you will need to read in order to fully understand the law before filling out any legal documents. Some sites, like Legal Zoom, will even offer to do your living will for you for a small fee. They will ask you to fill out a questionnaire regarding your living will preferences. A few days later, they will send you copy for you to approve or disapprove. If you approve, you pay the fee and the will is yours.

Of course, before completing the will, you should discuss all of the choices (regarding the content of the will) with your family and friends so that they are aware of your decisions and desires. Feel free to bounce any ideas off of them as well, considering that they will be the ones that will actually follow your will. Also, make sure that your will is signed, witnessed, and notarized according to the laws of your state. The last thing you want is your will to be rejected, causing even more problems for your loved ones. Plus, legal copies need to be given to those who will carry out the will. It must be a legal copy, however, not just a copy. If a legal copy cannot be produced at the critical decision time, your loved ones can do nothing. Finally, make sure to store all such copies in a safe yet accessible place, easily acquired for the unexpected malady.

Bear in mind, that diseases are there all over the world and it is entirely your responsibility that you make sure that you don’t invite them to invade your body by eating healthy and nutritious food and not indulge in bad habits like smoking, drinking, drug addiction, etc. Living will means that you must have the will to live on your own terms and not through someone dictating and bossing you around. Learn from these brilliant examples of medical practice marketing so as to understand the philosophy of life better and you will see that you come out with flying colors.